WhileDwarf Fortresshas received significant upgrades for its Steam release, there are a variety of features that players may still want to see added to the game. Fortunately, these fans need not wait for new features to be officially implemented by the developers, as the community is already hard at work creating mods that enhance the experience. This guide is here to showcase some of the best mods from the early days ofDwarf Fortressfor Steam, and fans may want to give them a try on their next playthroughs.
Dwarf Fortress: How to Install Mods (Steam)
Prior to getting into details on specific mods forDwarf Fortress’s Steam release, instructions on how to install them may be helpful. Here are those instructions, and it is important to emphasize that the only supported way to get a mod up and running is to install it during world creation:
Dwarf Fortress: Best Mods (Steam)
Interface Tweaks
Interface Tweaksis a quality-of-life mod from Trainzack that displays an action’s hotkey atop its icon. This means that players will no longer need to hover over an icon in order to see its associated hotkey, which is great for those that are not interested in memorizing all the keyboard controls. Additionally, the mod makes it more difficult to accidentally disband amilitary squad inDwarf Fortress, a situation that can be quite frustrating indeed.
Audible Alerts
Another great mod from Trainzack,Audible Alertsdoes exactly what its name suggests: adds audio queues to many of the game’s alerts. Unfortunately, this mod is not capable of adding audio queues to the start ofcombat inDwarf Fortress, though it should still make it easier to stay on top of many other important alerts.
See-Through Smoothing Designations
Smoothing and engraving are great ways to improve the quality of aroom inDwarf Fortress, though the way that these orders manifest in-game can be a bit of nuisance due to their opacity. Fortunately, Trainzack has once again come through with an improvement inSee-Through Smoothing Designations, a mod that makes it possible to see the activity in a room even when it is undergoing smoothing or engraving.
As players start to establish military squads, they will find that the icons that can be assigned to them are quite limited. CaZsm is looking to address this phenomenon with theirSquad & Burrow Iconsmod, which adds a plethora of new symbols to the game. Notably, Trainzack’sWork Detail Iconsmod may also be appealing to fans of Squad & Burrow Icons, and indeed it is worth a look.
Reduced Z-Level Fog
Reduced Z-Level Fogis a cosmetic mod from Munashe that thins out a biome’s fog, increasing visibility at higher elevations. Modders like Bourbon have also used this concepts to create mods likeDark Depths, which alters the look of underground spaces. While these types of mods do not have a significant impact onDwarf Fortress’s gameplay, they may be of interest to fans that are not thrilled with its blueness.
